Rabat – Djibouti is set to open a general consulate this afternoon in Dakhla, southern Morocco.
Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita announced the news in a press conference after the opening of Burundi diplomatic representation in Laayoune.
Since the end of last year, Morocco’s southern region in Western Sahara has witnessed several inaugurations of consular representations.
The openings are diplomatic achievements for Morocco, and reflect the growing continental support for its integrity and sovereignty over the region.
Burundi, the latest African country to open a consulate in the region, expressed full support for Morocco’s territorial integrity at the inauguration ceremony.
Burundi’s Foreign Affairs Minister Ezechiel Nibigira said the inauguration is “an expression of the strengthening of our cooperation which attaches great importance to good neighborhood, respect for national sovereignty and non-interference in the internal affairs of States.”
He said that the opening comes from “shared conviction.” It testifies to “the attachment and loyalty of our country to the principles of African fraternity and international legality,” he added.
The Central African Republic, Sao Tome and Principe, Gabon, Comoros, Gambia, Cote d’Ivoire, and Guinea have all opened consulates in Morocco’s southern region of Western Sahara.
The inauguration of the representations has been met with hostility from the Polisario Front and its supporter, Algeria, who have described the diplomatic missions as “flagrant violations.”
Cote d’Ivoire, however, responded to Algeria’s statements, saying that the opening of its consulate is a sovereign act.
“In foreign policy, as in other fields, we are careful not to give moral lessons, nor do we want to be told what to do or not to do,” said the Ivorian official.
The statement came to refute any potential questions on the validity of the embassy by the breakaway group the Polisario Front and its supporter, Algeria.
Algeria, who finances and arms the breakaway group in Western Sahara, recalled its ambassador from Cote d’Ivoire after the inauguration of its consulate.
